HEADER BY YOSEF PHELAN
SPECIAL THANKS TO JASMINE ALOMA AT THE BBC

“Welcome to the Banksie supremacy! It all starts here,” the aforementioned seven-foot, non-binary drag queen from the North declares to GAY TIMES the morning after her Drag Race UK elimination. While Banksie doesn’t want fans to be upset over her exit, which has been met with a lot of resistance on social media, she jokes (?): “Avenge me!”

Episode five saw the queens sing live and perform in the ‘Pant-Oh She Better Don’t’ Rusical, before stomping down the runway in mirror-inspired ensembles. The pantomime received rave reviews, although DeDeLicious’ turn as ‘Dame Muffin Top’ and Banskie’s villainous performance as ‘Butter Face’ landed them in the bottom two, where they lip-synced to Susan Boyle’s theatrical ballad ‘I Dreamed a Dream’.

Although Banksie boasted a RuPeter Badge and DeDe did not, the latter’s manic display performance booted her out of the competition. “Me and DeDe have shown ourselves to be contenders, so I think people are shocked,” says Banksie. “The amount of love I’m getting now on social media… I’ve had to turn my phone off! It broke last night.”

From her ridiculously brilliant Snatch Game plans to the drama and conflama of Untucked, the future Olivier Award-winning entertainer dives into her five-week run on Drag Race UK. (From her London hotel toilet, we should add.)

Banksie, how are you?

Hello! Welcome to my toilet. It’s great.

You’re actually in a toilet?

I’m not sitting on a toilet, but I am in a bathroom because the lighting is so much better in this hotel room, I don’t know why.

We have to talk about Drag Race, because you were on the show?

Was I?

Yeah. Your exit was iconic, groundbreaking, trailblazing, innovative. I don’t think any other queen has done that, no?

No! It was either gonna be, ‘RuPaul, you’ve made a mistake, I’m not leaving’ or ‘I’ve got to walk the runway one last time.’ I knew my package was without-a-doubt amazing. I had to do it one more time. It’s an amazing experience. I just wanted to feel it again.

Your fashion was… too much this season. I assume you’ll be posting your unseen looks each week?

Of course! I’ve worked with some amazing photographers over the last couple of months to be able to get them at the highest level they can be. Even though I’m not walking the runway on the show, people will still be interested to see what all of us girls do after we get eliminated. I mean, have you seen Alexis’? Alexis’ looks… I would’ve gone home! They’re so amazing that I would’ve panicked, honestly.

Do you think you deserved your bottom two placement this week?